Endoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsies of pancreatic masses: comparison between fine needle aspirations and needle core biopsies.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-guided FNA) is a highly sensitive and specific method for diagnosing pancreatic masses. Alternatively, EUS-guided needle core biopsies (NCB) have also been introduced. We sought to determine efficacies of pancreatic EUS-guided FNAs and NCBs. Records of consecutive EUS-guided FNAs received over a 24-mo-period were reviewed. Cases with concurrent NCBs were selected for the study. The diagnoses from the two modalities were compared and designated concordant (CC) or discordant (DC). Of 252 cases, 52 had concurrent NCBs. The final diagnoses included primary and secondary tumors. Of the 52 cases, 29/52 (55.8%) were CC and 23/52 (44.2%) were DC. The sensitivities for FNAs and NCBs were 95.0% and 67.6%, respectively. Both modalities were 100% specific. Direct comparison between EUS-guided FNAs and NCBs demonstrated that the former are more sensitive for diagnosing pancreatic neoplasms, both primaries and metastases. There was no correlation between CC/DC cases and type of neoplasm. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.